Luke Barr

This is an enchanting and enlightening story. I knew nothing about Ritz and Escoffier, only the phrase "ritzy". He was a 19th century hotelier from a working class background who rose to fame at the Savoy in London during the 1890s. He tore out the old heavy drapes and dusty velvet, welcomed people of all stations from royalty to nouveau riche to opera stars in a theater of seeing and being seen. Most importantly he brought along French chef Auguste Escoffier who is today considered the show more father of modern French cuisine. The two created something new, what we would recognize today as the modern luxury hotel and restaurant.

This book rises above a mere biography by the quality of the writing. The storytelling is top notch; the descriptions of the hotel and people, the restaurant and food, it reminds me of Zola's The Belly of Paris with the endless courses of rich food. It is also a social story of 'coming out' - women dining in restaurants was not de rigueur. Likewise royalty were secluded in private rooms, that changed too. The drab, slow, dark heaviness of the Victorian era began to lighten and speed-up as reflected in the decor, clothing, styles and recipes pioneered by Ritz and Escoffier. show less

Вас позвали запустить первый элитный отель в одном из главных городов мира. Вы блестяще справились, но возникла деликатная проблема: в такое место, как мотыльки на свет, слетелись дамы полусвета. Респектабельная публика может отшатнуться. Как избавиться от show more нежелательных клиенток? У Сезара Рица, человека, чьей фамилией назовут отели, а именем — салат, был лайфхак и на этот счет: дресс-код. В истории HORECA тандем Риц — Эскофье по своему влиянию сравним с дуэтом Леннон — Маккартни в музыке. Отельер и ресторатор-кулинар тонко уловили потребности обладателей новых состояний рубежа XIX–XX веков, но не упустили и аристократов, которые все еще задавали тон. О каждом из них по отдельности уже написаны книги. Эта, возможно, первая, исследующая синергетический эффект работы двух гениев, определивших каноны сегмента luxury на век вперед. show less

As a big fan of M. F. K. Fisher, I thought this book by her grand-nephew would be right up my alley. Barr's grandmother was M. F.'s sister, Nora, and the two women did a lot of traveling together in France. Barr used M.F.'s diaries and other documents, as well as his grandmother's recollections, to put together this picture of a period when some of the greatest names and talents in American gastronomy came together for shared meals and collaboration in Provence. There was camaraderie and show more conflict, and it makes interesting reading. One or two of the company were not particularly nice people, it appears. Inclined to be stabby when one's back is turned...that kind of not nice. But they weren't people I knew much about before, so I wasn't bothered to learn this. (M.F. went through some serious soul-searching about her long relationship with French cuisine and culture after the summer of 1970.) The book includes menus (but no recipes) for some of the drool-inducing meals described; there is slightly less material than there ought to be for the size of the book, and some photos would have been wonderful, but what there is, is tasty. show less

A thoroughly engaging book about the convergence of M.F.K. Fisher, Julia and Paul Child, James Beard, Richard Olney, and several other food writers and personalities in France in, well, 1970. Written by Fisher’s grandnephew, Luke Barr, the book is well-researched and kind of fascinating if you’ve any interest in food, or France.

Beard, for instance, in a cruel twist of fate, is in the South of France attempting to complete his book American Cookery while ensconced in a diet clinic most show more of the time, subsisting on bland food – and not much of it. Julia Child is in the process of terminating her professional relationship with co-writer (and landlord) Simone Beck and is reevaluating her relationship with French cooking. Fisher is reevaluating her relationship with France. Olney is attempting to establish himself as a preeminent expert on French cooking while remaining uncompromising and scornful of other Americans attempting to do the same. show less